The ‘Blue Pilgrims’ watching the India vs Ghana match at FIFA U-17 World Cup, at JLN stadium in New Delhi. (Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@indiabluepilgrims)

Football

Blue Pilgrims: Indian Football’s Answer to Cricket’s ‘Barmy Army’

By Papri Das

October 14, 2017 at 11:29 AM IST

If you were at Delhi’s Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium when Jeakson Singh scored that historic goal against Columbia in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, you couldn’t have missed the infectious cheer of ‘India! India! India!’ – or the echo of ‘Hum honge kamyab’ when our under-17 team lost the match against Ghana.

If you wondered who these passionate fans are, we have got you covered.

Meet the ‘Blue Pilgrims’ – a travelling band of 400-plus football lovers from across 10 cities in India. They have only one mission: to support the Indian football team, whichever age group, wherever they play.

While cricket lovers may associate them with the iconic ‘Barmy Army’ of English cricket, the Blue Pilgrims are strictly inspired by the European ‘Ultras’.

India is out of the World Cup, and for many that’s a queue for them to end their fan fare. But not for the Blue Pilgrims. It’s just the beginning for them.

I believe India is well on its track to become one of the best in Asian football. For that to happen, all the football fans need to band together. Whether it is the Premiere League, the Spanish La Liga, or the ISL. We need your support to make Indian football shine not only from the pitch but also from the stands.

Debanjan, co-founder, Blue Pilgrims

Are you passionate about football to travel with the Blue Pilgrims? Let us know in the comments.

Video Editor: Vivek Gupta

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